When World of Warcraft: Forever’s beta first launched, I lamented its long stretches of silence and penchant for ambience over theatrics. I still sort of stand by that, but after spending more time in Azeroth (and discovering the loop music setting) I’ve a new-found appreciation for both WoW’s soundtrack and ambient music as a whole.

It’s also got me thinking about what makes a soundtrack ambient versus something more melodic. I’m chronically Final Fantasy 14-brained, where just about everything has a grand thematic soundtrack to it—the jauntiness of the Gold Saucer, the soothing Middle-earthness of Gridania’s outer Shroud zones, the grand organs of Ishgard’s bitterly cold landscape. You can’t escape composer Masayoshi Soken’s penchant for leifmotifs. He will turn anything into an orchestral spectacle.

I’m a big JRPG fan in general, a genre I think is the absolute master of thematic soundtracks. But I also think fondly of games I’ve played over the years that are a little more pared down, their soundtracks there for a little atmosphere rather than actively driving the narrative. Minecraft’s OST is a masterclass in ambience, and is in regular rotation across my videogame-themed Spotify playlists. I also have a huge soft spot for the soundtrack behind Mirror’s Edge—one which settles in this almost otherworldly ambiance, only ramping up when Faith is in a perilous situation.

But what about you? Do you prefer the more subtle nuances that an atmospheric soundtrack has to offer? Or do you like your videogame music loud, in your face, and full of dramatics? Be sure to leave a comment and let me know which one’s your favourite and why.